They Call Me Pinky

Most of you or maybe some of you know the story about my finger. I broke it about a month ago. I was in Maolin on a weekend getaway with some friends! It was an amazing trip minus the fact I broke my finger playing football in the rain.

I caught the ball wrong. I thought it was just dislocated, but I wasn’t so lucky. This was Saturday night in the pouring rain in a village with no hospital. No one had tape and it was far too swollen and painful to even try taping my fingers together or have it popped back into place. Ice and Advil had to do for the night.

Maybe I should get this checked out.

The next day was a slow day for pretty much everyone on the trip due to the festivities the night before. We had a wonderful relaxing day before heading back to Kaohsiung. The pain was ok until I started driving my scooter. We were driving through places where the roads were still washed out from the Typhoon three years ago. Every minor bump equalled a jolt of pain through my hand and finger. It was a long drive home. I made it back with Laura, went home to drop off my stuff, and headed to the E.R.

Talk about service! I was immediately taken to the trauma section of the E.R. They taped my name to my chair and I plunked down. It was a pretty busy night. People on beds dying in the hallway. Everyone was staring at me. Oh joy! But what was I staring at?

I was staring at the man in front of me in the wide open with a trache tube. His family and a doctor were surrounding him. He looked in rough shape, possibly dead? Why didn’t they close the curtains for some privacy?

A young chap comes over to take me for x-rays.

“Please spread your fingers.” How about I just deliver a massive Karate chop to your neck. It would not involve me spreading my fingers and would hurt a lot less.

I returned to the E.R. to find Will setting up shop beside me! Hilarious!!! A bunch of messy foreigners in the E.R. after a fantastic weekend. All we needed was Laura with her mangled toe. Will kissed the pavement a few times after crashing his scooter the same night I broke my finger.

Will just loves having his wounds scrubbed out!

My doc came to tell me that it was indeed broke, and I needed to wait for the Ortho doc to figure out what we were going to do. I had a moment of panic. I was convinced my finger was still dislocated. There was no way that it would bend to the side like that if it was only a fracture.

Will and I had quite an enjoyable time playing over all the worst case scenarios. But I was in a lot of pain! All around us there were princesses holding their hands, leg, pony tails, and anything else that could be injured as if they had been hit by a bus. No swelling or bruising. Where on earth is my ice? Then to top it off a nurse comes over to Will and gives him ice for his road rash. Haha ok!?! Finally Will’s people hooked me up.

Apparently it is fun to knock knees with pavement.

I look over, and the man with the trache tube is sitting there talking to his family off ventilation! Ah what? I explain to Will that I thought the man was on the brink of death. So random…

Then this beautiful man walked up to me. Hiyah there. He was my hot Ortho doctor (HOD). Fantastic! He took me to see my x-rays. It was almost fracture the whole way through. That explains the bend to the side. HOD and the other doctors were laughing at my story about how I fractured it. There could have been way better stories that could have resulted in a fractured pinky. Maybe they were laughing because they thought I was some crazy, foreign girl.

Crick, and it was broke, and dat was dat.

He told me they had to put a piece of metal to hold my finger in place. Excuse me??? He must have seen the look of shock on my face because he asked if that was ok. I asked him if the metal would be on the inside or outside of my finger. When he said metal he meant splint made out of metal. Phew!

All splinted up!

Finally HOD splinted my finger up, wrote me a prescription, and sent me on my way with a follow up appointment in three days. My finger hurt prior to the E.R. visit, but I was not prepared for the pain when they forced my pinky together with my other finger. Damn!!!

I would like to introduce you to the Permaclaw!

The next couple days were spent doing a tiny little tasks then having to take a break or nap depending on where I was. I was exhausted and sore! They had only given me T2s for the pain management. Fail! I was pretty excited about the bruising though! I never bruise and here I had a rainbow on my hand!

My camera sucks at catching bruises. This is post scrubbing of the nasty hand.

I arrived at my follow-up over an hour early. Whoops. A nice man helped me and offered to translate the patient information sheet for me while he was waiting for his mother to be seen.

“Are you single or married?”

“I am single”

“Do you live by yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Who takes care of you?”

“I take care of myself”

“Oh?”

This was on the actual questionnaire. He checked off boxes after each of my answers.

I looked into the office. There was the cranky nurse and some other doctor. I began wearing my sad face. Where was HOD? Then he came strolling through the waiting room. I went in to see him, and he went through all my medical history.

“You are diabetic too?”

Yes, I know! I am a mess. J

He explained because my finger was crooked, they might have to put a pin in it if the splint didn’t hold it straight. What about the Philippines? I crossed all my available fingers as I went for round 2 of x-rays. I returned to his office, but the other doctor was there. Bah humbug. The new doctor told me the new splint was holding my finger in place! Yay, no surgery.

Now to book an appointment in 4 weeks. He only had appointments for the afternoons. I explained that I worked in the afternoon and mornings would be the only time that would work for me. He gave me bad news. I would have to see the “other doctor.” Oh shucks. Another appointment with HOD. I lied and said it would be alright.

Tomorrow is the big day when I find out if it is healed yet. I would like to say that I will walk out of the hospital with bendy, nimble fingers, but I really don’t think it is healed yet. We shall see though. Being back at work this past week has been extremely painful because I keep using my hand without realizing it. Everyone keeps telling me to put my kids to work. I think I might this week… Suckers!

Luckily I have great friends who help me blend in with a crowd.